Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 12, NWS Pueblo, CO

July 23, 1996El Paso County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this tornado warning at Jul 23, 1996, 6:45 PM MDT for El Paso County, Colorado. It was in force for 60 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jul 23, 1996, 6:45 PM MDT (00:45 UTC)
Expired
Jul 23, 1996, 7:45 PM MDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO
Area
Whole counties

County El Paso County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 51 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:47 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 23, 7:08 PM MDTHail 0.75Eastonville, CO

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 160 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 1996-07-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 176 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 1996-07-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 22 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
176 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-91 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1798 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
22 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
196 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KPUB 240045
TORPUB
COC041-240145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
645 PM MDT TUE JUL 23 1996

* TORNADO WARNING FOR
  SOUTHERN AND EASTERN EL PASO COUNTY      IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO

* UNTIL 745 PM MDT
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
    ELLICOTT AND YODER BEFORE 7 PM MDT

* AT 640 PM MDT RADAR SHOWED A DEVELOPING TORNADO 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF
  YODER MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* THIS WARNING REPLACES THE 0TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY.

A FOLLOW UP STATEMENT WITH MORE DETAILS ON THIS DANGEROUS WEATHER
SITUATION WILL BE OUT SHORTLY.

RMG

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 23, 3:45 PM MDT, 3 hours before
COZ063-064-232235-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
345 PM MDT TUE JUL 23 1996

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM ENTERING THE SOUTHERN SAN LUIS VALLEY...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM...BRINGING LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...HAIL UP TO 1/2
INCH DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH WILL MOVE INTO OPEN COUNTY OF
SOUTHEAST RIO GRANDE COUNTY AND NORTHEAST CONEJOS COUNTY BY 400 PM.
THIS STORM WILL REACH HIGHWAY 15 BY 400 PM....THEN MOVE OVER HIGHWAY
3@70.

AT 340 PM DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THE STRONG THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF MONTE VISTA MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

PERSONS ALONG HIGHWAY 15 AND 370 SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE STRONG
THUNDERSTORM.

WOLYN
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 4:12 PM MDT, 2 hours 33 minutes before
COZ075-077-232245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
412 PM MDT TUE JUL 23 1996

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER THE RATON MESA WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN
...STRONG WIND GUSTS AND POSSIBLE SMALL HAIL BEFORE IT MOVES INTO NEW
MEXICO BY 430 PM MDT...

AT 410 PM MDT...RADAR SHOWED THE STORM 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF TRINIDAD
...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT NEAR 20 MPH.

GRAY
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 4:54 PM MDT, 1 hour 51 minutes before
COZ072-232330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
454 PM MDT TUE JUL 23 1996

...A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING THROUGH ELBERT COUNTY WILL ALSO
AFFECT NORTHEAST EL PASO COUNTY THROUGH 515 PM MDT...

STRONG THUNDERSTORM WINDS...AND POSSIBLE HAIL COULD OCCUR AROUND
RAMAH IN THE EXTREME NORTHEAST CORNER OF EL PASO COUNTY. AT 450 PM
MDT...RADAR SHOWED THE STORM 6 MILES NORTH OF RAMAH...MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT.
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 5:20 PM MDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
COZ072-232355-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
520 PM MDT TUE JUL 23 1996

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM MOVING THROUGH ELBERT COUNTY WILL CONTINUE
TO AFFECT EXTREME NORTHEAST AND EASTERN EL PASO COUNTY THROUGH 545
PM MDT...

PEOPLE IN THE RAMAH AND CALHAN AREA SHOULD STILL ANTICIPATE VERY STRONG
THUNDERSTORM WINDS AND POSSIBLE HAIL AS THIS STORM CONTINUES TO MOVE
SOUTHEAST AROUND 25 MPH.

AT 515 PM MDT...THE STORM WAS XOVER SIMLA ON HIGHWAY 24...MOVING
SOUTHEAST AROUND 25 MPH. EASTBOUND MOTORISTS ON HIGHWAY 24 FROM
CALHAN TO RAMAH AND SIMLA SHOULD EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION IN THE
AREA OF THIS STORM. FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS ON THE HIGHWAY
ARE POSSIBLE.
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 5:51 PM MDT, 54 minutes before
COZ072-240040-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
551 PM MDT TUE JUL 23 1996

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN WESTERN ELBERT COUNTY IS EXPECTED TO MOVE
TO NORTHEAST EL PASO AROUND 630 PM MDT...

AT 550 PM MDT...RADAR SHOWED THE STORM 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF CALHAN
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 5:52 PM MDT, 53 minutes before
COZ072-240040-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
550 PM MDT TUE JUL 23 1996

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN WESTERN ELBERT COUNTY IS EXPECTED TO MOVE
TO NORTHEAST EL PASO COUNTY AROUND 630 PM MDT...

AT 550 PM MDT...RADAR SHOWED THE STORM 20 MILES NORTHWEST OF CALHAN
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

GRAY

The office that day

Everything else NWS Pueblo, CO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 23, 6:06 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBEl Paso64 min
Jul 23, 6:38 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBKiowa62 min
Jul 23, 6:52 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso48 min
Jul 23, 7:12 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBBent63 min
Jul 23, 7:18 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBProwers47 min
Jul 23, 7:32 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBProwers33 min
Jul 23, 7:52 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBCrowley, Otero48 min
Jul 23, 8:00 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBBaca60 min
Jul 23, 8:04 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBProwers51 min
Jul 23, 8:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBHuerfano36 min
Jul 24, 4:12 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBHuerfano48 min
Jul 24, 4:25 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBLas Animas45 min
Jul 24, 5:08 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBLas Animas62 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 1996Every tornado warning in 1996Tornadoes in 1996

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.